You can stop saying “assalamu alaikum” to your neighbor, shave your beard, tell your children not to speak of their prayers, even try to fake tickets for an international flight, but you can never tru…
Love No Border: The Significance of Faith-Based Resistance to Trump Immigration Policy
In an era of xenophobia, nationalism and anti-immigrant sentiment, faith-based sanctuary movements are fighting back. The Trump administration’s efforts to stop what it calls illegal immigration and c…
Papa Putin and Mother Russia: The Historical and Political Implications of Domestic Violence in Russia
In Russia, nearly 40 women die every day due to domestic violence. This rate is around three per day in the United States. The women that survive are too often left with scars, burns, or permanent dis…
‘The Creeping Iron In The Soul’ : Babri Masjid in 2018
“It is not madness; not lunacy. It is the creeping iron in the soul.” In December 1992, India was shaken awake by the news of 150,000 Hindu nationalists ruthlessly tearing down a mosque bu…
Separation of Church and State?: What the First Amendment Really Meant
Ronald Reagan, known for his one-liners, often joked that “as long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public schools.” Though intended as a humorous aphorism, the debate over the role o…
No Excuses: The Case Against Respecting Beliefs
The Bible, like most books, isn’t perfect. While this statement is utterly incontrovertible, declaring it publicly would nonetheless get me killed throughout much of history, and even today it would b…
Religion and Politics: The Limitations of Secularism and Liberal Discourse in the Non-West
This past weekend, Europa Laica (Secular Europe), a non-profit organization committed to the promotion of secularism, the secular state, and the separation of church and State in Europe, launched its …
An Indian Inquisition
The chaotic days of India’s partition still leave their mark on the country’s conscience today. In 1947, India and Pakistan found themselves tangled in religious bloodshed, and although this was almos…
The Murder of Avijit Roy
On February 26, Bangladeshi-American blogger Avijit Roy was murdered in the street by religious extremists in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Roy was an avid advocate for secularism and spoke out constantly agains…
The Mis-Coverage of Chapel Hill
On the evening of Tuesday, February 10, three young Muslim students were fatally shot near the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Newlyweds Deah Barakat, 21, and Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha, 21…